When to Play
by snarechan
Summary: The minute something goes wrong, you can bet Tidus is itching to play that beloved sport of his. Thing is, whenever Blitzball and the blonde are involved, things tend to only get worse.


When to Play

By Snare-chan

**Pairings**: None  
**Ratings**: T  
**Category(ies)**: General  
**Warning(s)**: Game spoilers for after Zanarkand dome  
**Status**: One-shot, complete  
**Summary**: The minute something goes wrong, you can bet Tidus is itching to play that beloved sport of his. Thing is, whenever Blitzball and the blonde are involved, things tend to only get worse.

**Notes**: Eleven freaking pages, what in the world was I thinking? XD First it wanted to be a drabble, then a normal five page one-shot, and now it's borderline two-shot. I guess I got carried away? -giggles- And is it just me, or do my FFX fics tend to require Auron teaching Tidus a lesson? Not that…the guy needs to skimp out on the learning department or anything.

**Disclaimer**: I dun own Final Fantasy X; wish I did like everyone else. They should put FFX in stock, then I'd buy it all!

* * *

Back in his Zanarkand, Tidus had been all about Blitzball. Even if it was something that connected him with his father, he still loved it with his entire being. Playing it was a good escape, and was a part of how he eventually…kind of…somewhat…sort of got over the low bends in his life. His old man's disappearance, the death of his mom, having to put up with Auron, life in general…sometimes he felt bad for needing a distraction so badly, but at those moments, he just desperately needed to forget, just for a little while.

Unconsciously, it was also similar to why his father would drink, but he never bothered to think of such things. As far as he was concerned, the blonde was convinced his old man and he were only connected by blood and their enjoyment of the water sport. Nothing less, and certainly nothing more.

But…right now, he would have to admit he's making those excuses again. Nothing has changed – he still feels the urge to run to the nearest dome whenever things turn sour. When he'd first woken up in Spira, when he saw Kilika be destroyed…when he found out Yuna was gonna die. These sights and realizations didn't even compare to any earlier complaints he might have had, and they only fueled his desire to play. It was the healthiest way, if you could call it that, to release his pent up frustrations and anger.

At this moment, he was currently feeling that way, too. He wanted _out_ of this stupid airship, and he wanted off it _now_. Not soon, not later, not tomorrow – _now_. The insatiable urge to go swimming in that regulated liquid and hold and kick the blue rubber ball around was thrumming through his veins.

They had all just kicked Yunalesca's sorry fanny ass, and all he wanted to do was take a dip.

Almost tapping his foot impatiently, he listened to the others talk about what to do now. Without a way to create the final summoning…well, they'd have a lot of explaining to do when they decided to visit Lord Mike, or whatever his name was. Probably, too, to the whole of Spira, while he's being honest, which was why they were holding this conference in the first place.

"Without Yunalesca, there will be no final summoning," Lulu reestablished for them all, pointing out the obvious for at least Tidus' sake, "Without it we cannot summon something as powerful as Sin."

"Then what about all the fayths at once, ya?" Wakka piped up shortly, spitting out the first thing that came to mind.

"Their power combined is not enough to rival Sin; you should know that," Lulu replied, giving him a curt tip of the head. "You should also know that such an act would utterly drain Yuna of her power, and it would make ridding this world of Yunalesca moot."

The redhead laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. At the sight of the nervous habit, Lulu merely shook her head, turning to look back at the rest of them.

Next Rikku spoke up, her little blonde head popping up as an idea seemed to come to her. "What about this ship? If we Al Bhed worked together to bring all our Machina together, then maybe-"

"Like Operation Mi'ihen?"

Auron's muttered interruption caused everyone in the area to fall silent, the cold reminder of such a massacre a dark and disheartening one. So much hope had been put into it that its utter defeat left many people with mixed feelings and troubled thoughts. Such a cold day was forgotten by no one of their party, though many of them tried.

"What if we combin-"

"Give it a rest, Wakka," Lulu scolded, her voice rather bitter as she addressed him again, "We must forget what we have already established and bring forth something unexpected."

Looking rather hurt at the cruel treatment, he closed his mouth with a snap. He knew she didn't mean to sound so frigid. She just got overly serious about these kinds of things – latching onto a problem and refusing to rest until she solved it – but he'd been effected by their journey up to this point, too. They all were, and equally, all of them wanted a say in this.

"Bah, we're going around in circles," Tidus finally spoke up, a gloved hand weaving through his hair, if only to give his hand something to do since he was stuck here…with no rubber ball.

"Then what would you suggest?" Having the dark magician's eyes on him was hardly a comfortable sensation, but he calmly took it all in stride. He'd put up with Auron for several years, after all, and he could easily vouch that Lulu didn't have anything on Auron's stoic look, so hah.

"Blitzball."

Immediately, everyone's eyes were on him. Even Brother glanced over his shoulder in bewilderment, his hands thankfully still locked onto the steering controls.

"Blitzball…?" Yuna asked uncertainly, most likely doubting she'd even heard correctly.

But she had, and to confirm this, Tidus flashed her a smile and a nod. "Blitzball!"

"Um…brudda, I dun think…does Sin play or somethin'?"

Rikku deftly hit him upside the head, beating Lulu to doing it herself. With a grunt, he rubbed the sore spot, looking around at everyone. "What? What'd I say?"

"No Wakka; I mean us!"

"We don't have time for games," Lulu started, but Tidus cut her off before she could begin to lecture him.

"Oh yeah; we're accomplishing soooo much just standing around. Seriously," the blonde scoffed, speaking to her in such a manner for the first time, "think about it, the quick break will give you guys plenty of time to think over all of this till your heads spin, but personally, I think better when I'm in the water."

His words seemed to have had an effect on the others, though they still looked upon him a bit strangely or, in Yuna's case, worriedly. Tidus didn't care, though; he was determined to get out of here and get to Luca.

"Besides…" he started again, "it's not like Sin is going anywhere, at least not for right now. I'd rather be doing something than talking my head off."

A silence still hung in the air after he'd spoken his mind. No one was sure how to take such a speech, though some were leaning towards agreement.

"Typical."

With that final word, Auron left the main deck, passing through the sliding doors to disappear on the other side. While his friends were lost on the meaning of his cryptic response, Tidus took it as a simple 'yes'.

* * *

Luca was an amazing city. When he'd first laid eyes on it, it was so bright and vibrant, nothing like the other cities and small towns he'd visited. With its clean-cut lines and pastel shades, it was like a place out of a storybook. The large Luca Dome added to the dream-like effect it had on its visitors, or at least it did on Tidus.

Without meaning to, he'd often compare it to his Zanarkand. Here it always seemed bright and sunny, even without the aid of artificial lighting. At night it normally didn't have much lighting at all, actually, and left it looking serene and peaceful with what mood lighting it did possess. Back home it always seemed so eerie, like something was looming, with its towering skyscrapers and apartment complexes. Luca was the classical to Zanarkand's contemporary.

To this day, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but a part of him certainly liked it. At least the large Blitzball stadium had his heart wrapped around it like ribbon. It was nothing compared to the old Zanarkand dome, with its neon lights and high-tech systems, but in its own way it was a sight to behold. Playing in it only made the experience better.

"Man…I'm really not sure about dis…" Wakka spoke up beside him, startling him out of his musings.

Grinning over at him, Tidus carelessly threw an arm around his shoulder despite their obvious height difference. "Oh, come off it, Wakka! You know you've missed it."

"But I _retired_; whatzit going to look like when I go back in there, ya?"

"So you're crawling back to the very sport you dropped like a bad habit; so what? We're not going to play any tournaments or anything, just a couple practice games…"

"Oh, well in dat case…"

"…in the leagues."

"Tidus!"

Releasing his companion, he proceeded to act like he was no longer there and started walking to the Aurochs' locker room. To drown out the other's complaints, he hummed a random tune, one that sounded suspiciously like the Hymn of the Fayth.

There were not a whole lot of teams for Bliztball since there are but six major 'cities' in Spira. There was, of course, theirs, the Besaid Aurochs, who were unfortunately dubbed the all time losers in all of the game. Last time he'd been here, they had to face one of the toughest teams in the entire league – the Luca Goers. Being the ritzy team of this big city left them with basically the best of everything: the dome to train in, loads of money for equipment, flashy costumes…whoever said that looks don't make the man had obviously never played against the Goers.

The Kilika Beasts had had the hardest season thus far, their entire village having been destroyed by Sin…had it really been that long? It seemed like just yesterday he saw that sea monster devour and ravage the place. The Ronso Fangs haven't had it any easier either, most of their tribe killed off by that evil, no good, conniving…ehem…Maester known as Seymour. Due to his heinous acts, the Guado Glories had gotten a bad rap that left them straining extra hard in all the games, trying to make up with Blitzball titles to replace the large hole their 'leader' had left for them to fill.

Speaking of bad raps, the sixth team in the Bliztball league had to be the single one everyone, _absolutely everyone_, was hard pressed to get: the Al Bhed Psyches. On one side it was because of their nationality. Their use of machina had left them disliked by many Yevon followers to the point that the players got more 'boo's than the Aurochs. But in someone like Tidus' case, it was because of how downright difficult they were to beat. Not even the people he'd played against before he came to Spira were as rough and tumble as these guys. To some point he understood, after seeing them train so hard on the airship, that they had a lot of proving to do…but all the same, Tidus was convinced they played dirty, fought hard, and deserved to be beaten to a pulp.

And in his opinion, he was just the man to do it.

Bursting through the very last door on the left of the hallway, Tidus halted as the Besaid Aurochs greeted him with mixed faces as he smiled at them through the doorway. The first to recover from his initial surprise entrance was Botta, the energetic redhead coming over to give him a welcoming pat on the back.

"Tidus, what are you doing here, man?" Datto, in all his white-marked glory, moved to crowd him next.

"Oh, you know, saving the world from Sin…and guess who I brought back with me?"

When Wakka didn't appear on his own, Tidus grabbed him by the straps of his uniform, forcibly making him reveal himself to the rest of his teammates. Letty and Keepa, who had been hanging back in the room so as not to block the entire entrance, were quick to forget such things and walked over to formally greet the both of them.

"So much for retirement, eh boss?" Keepa spoke up, his larger…er…build nearly toppling their old team leader over as he was given a half-hug.

"Eh…well, ya know how it goes…ya?"

"So, what's up?"

Immediately everyone's face fell, some heads ducking as if in embarrassment. Frowning slightly, Tidus prodded Botta, the person he'd come to realize was the most honest squealer out of them all. He might look all hardcore and bad-guy material with all his scars, but deep inside, he was just a softy.

"The new season just started, and well…we're doomed."

"Oh come on; not this again!" Tidus huffed, having heard all the put-downs and depressing speeches before. "You guys have been practicing, right?"

Botta hesitantly continued, passing nervous glances between the others as he spoke, "It's not that…we've been doing lots of hard work and learning lots of new moves. Just the other day-" At Tidus' glare he coughed, moving on from his poor attempt at a change of subject. "Yeah. That winning mantra has been all we've thought about, too. It's just…"

"Just what? Spit it out already!"

"We're playing against the Al Bhed."

The blonde groaned loudly as he face-palmed, his eyes clenching shut at the bad news. Of all the times he had to come back, it had to be when they were facing off against _those_ guys. No wonder the players had been smiling at him so strangely as he was getting off the airship.

"Well, that's uh…"

"We're doomed," Keepa summed up for him, his voice laced with dread.

"Now don't say that, guys! All we need is a good strategy, something that will take them by surprise, something so cool and great that they'll never see it coming!

Exchanging one last glance amongst themselves, as one, everyone in the room exclaimed, "We're doomed!"

"_Greetings and hello from Luca Stadium! Players of the first match, please get ready, the games will begin in five minutes._"

"You hear that, guys? Now, when we get out there, what are we gonna do?" Tidus asked, looking to each player's face expectantly. His voice was only met with whimpers and grunts, none too encouraging. Nudging Wakka in the side he gave him a _look_.

"Oh…uh, right, we're gonna win, ya?"

"Right! So what are we gonna do?"

"Win…"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"We're gonna win!"

* * *

They were losing: 2:1. Even with his Sphere Shot, even with Wakka's Nap Tackle, even with Keepa's Super Goalie and the rest of the team's added abilities and stats, they were losing. That wasn't even the worst of it - they were losing _horribly_. Currently, half his players were poisoned, Letty was taking a short snooze, and Keepa was weakened by a well-placed Wither Shot.

And the Al Bhed Psyches? Happy, healthy, and helping themselves to the entire sphere. Right now they were only passing between each other, mocking them, before periodically returning to the game to swim circles around them. It was ridiculous.

Knowing it was dangerous, Tidus left his spot in the left field and made his way towards the center in Wakka's position, taking the opposite offender who was trying to make a beeline for their net. Together, they still weren't enough to double-team Berrik, one of the heads of the opposing team whose hair could easily be used as a weapon. As if to rub salt in their wounds, he made an aim for the goal, even when he was not even close to it, and the ball narrowly missed decking Wakka in the head.

_That was completely intentional; he wasn't even using a Nap Shot!_ In Blitzball, that was just a big fat no-no, or at least it was to Tidus. The ball was sewn together like a rock and nearly twice as heavy if you didn't know what you were doing, so even a joking pass or kick could send the guy on the receiving end to the nearest clinic with broken bones. At his glare, the other just shrugged, looking for all the world like he didn't care if he'd all but turned Tidus' redheaded friend into a vegetable for the rest of his life.

Surprise, surprise, the blue and white ball slipped right through Keepa's fingers and to the back of the net. So much for ridiculous; this was just a disgrace.

Scowling slightly, Tidus caught Wakka's attention as they started to return to the starting position, motioning with his hands that he wanted to take his place. Without hesitating, his friend did so. If his bruised and battered appearance was of any indication, he'd had enough beatings for the time being.

Now he was facing off against Berrik himself, the guy smirking at him from across the way. As the shooter counted down, Tidus prepared to spring, his efforts rewarded as he snatched the ball first…but instead of trying to fly by the other, he flipped back around, heading towards his own net. This left everyone equally confused, the Aurochs frozen in place as they tried to figure out what he was doing. Though hesitant at first, the Al Bheds seemed stricken to do the same thing before diving onward.

Just as he'd planned it.

With none of his own teammates in the way and Berrik right in front of him, he started a move he seldom used for a finishing touch. Twisting and twirling through the water like he was in some mock water ballet, he turned at the last second to nail the ball straight towards the other net. It was happening all too quickly, and the opposition had narrowly enough time to do the limbo as the ball sailed inches away from his front to tread empty waters.

The goalie never knew what hit him as Tidus' shot got them one point away from tying.

As expected, the other team wasn't pleased about this. Added with the equally as deliberate shot he'd returned with the goal that ended the game in a tie, the dome was inevitably sure to boil over. At the moment, though, no one knew just how much, so the blonde was easy to gloat his way out of the playing field and onto dry land without much of a guilty conscience or worry.

Once out of there, the Aurochs had no qualms about congratulating one another, as well as teasing fellow teammates about their choice of plays, or lack thereof in some cases. Sure they hadn't won, but this was a large step in the right direction as far as all of them were concerned. Even Wakka, who'd been skeptical about the whole thing from the beginning, was willing to admit some Blitzball hadn't hurt them one bit…er…well, none of them were in danger of dying; that was definitely an improvement.

"Tidus!"

Startled out of his half-cheer, the teen in question turned in the direction of the voice. It didn't sound like some fan of his, with him on this team there weren't bound to be many (despite his handsome physique), and besides, it sounded like…

Berrik.

Tensing, Tidus straightened up as the Al Bhed approached him. Though he looked rather calm on the outside, Tidus knew better. From what he'd learned from Rin and his travels, Al Bhed wasn't just a language spoken with different words, but meanings shifted depending on tones, and the other's tone was bordering on malice. Apparently, he was still sore over Tidus' goal.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," he spoke as wittingly as possible, feeling his teammates watching his back for him. The other wouldn't be stupid enough to take him on when the odds are one to five.

He also wasn't stupid enough to come alone. The men on his team trailed around the corner, trying to look nonchalant and bored by leaning on the walls and towering to the side. Still, numbers were on their side, not the Al Bhed's. That was as good a sign as any.

It was hard to tell what the other's eyes were doing behind his goggles, but Tidus got the feeling he was glancing around, calculating his odds. When he thought he felt them rest solely on him, the other blonde finally spoke.

/You were quite reckless today/ the other noted, purposely speaking in his native language, knowing only Tidus and the other Al Bhed would know what he was saying. If it got nasty, no one would know the difference whose fault it was if a brawl were to break out. Like he'd stated before, the guys played dirty, so like Yevon they'd confess whose mouth was dirtier to the guards.

/I could say the same about you/ Tidus spoke just as evenly, mentally patting himself on the back for such a response. Berrik inclined his head, as if conceding some round to him. Was that a bad omen or a good one?

/Indeed, but at least mine was accidental./

/Accidental! I saw you kick that right at him, you liar/

/State that again. I dare you./

Even if Wakka and his friends couldn't understand a single word that was uttered, they sure could sense the tension mounting around them. The other Al Bhed players had also stood straight, anticipating a fight and willing to intervene if necessary. Such an action wasn't lost on Tidus, but it didn't concern him yet, either.

/I have no intention of fighting you/ the man stated more calmly, his voice throwing Tidus off a little. In the back of his head, he knew why. No one liked the Al Bhed Psyches to start with, so a fight with some other players wouldn't improve anything. All the same, that voice was roughly pushed aside to be replaced with some pride.

/However, I do believe I deserve an apology./

/Oh, sure, I'm totally sorry you can barely dodge/ he stated coldly, pointedly turning his back on the guy. If he didn't want to argue about the matter, then there was no point in the conversation. Reverting back to regular Spirian, he ordered for his companions to head for the locker room.

The man behind him muttered something coldly, just loud enough for his ears to catch, before he felt a pull on the back of his trousers.

He'd never admit it, but what he'd heard had made him angrier then the unwanted contact. Anticipating an attack, he turned and instinctively made a fist and put all his weight into the motion as he turned to counter before he got a blow to the head. Berrik didn't fall, despite how hard he'd just been decked in the jaw head-on, but he did falter. Calmly, he lifted a hand, examining the bit of blood that coated his fingers as he drew it away from his lips. Then all hell broke loose.

Having not managed to get back to the lower level to their main waiting room, the whole group of them was out in the open. Most of the crowds had dwindled due to the break between games having ended, but all the same, there were still guards and some last minute stragglers in their midst. At first, the surrounding people weren't sure what to do about the two teams suddenly going gung-ho on one another, then some large men eventually attempted to end it. This course of events only led to an even bigger fight.

They were in a rather large crowd now, so when someone grabbed Tidus by the shoulder, he didn't think anything of it. While being moved around, he readily turned with the motion, fist raising and once again decking the person who'd touched him. With the resounding crack of knuckles against temple, the riot settled into an eerie silence.

As if in slow motion, Auron turned back to face him, his glasses slightly askew from being punched in the face. Paling considerably at the realization of what he'd just done, Tidus gulped.

"Uh-oh…"

His words echoed through the stilled crowd, the older man's face enough to supply what he already knew: '_Uh-oh…is right_.'

* * *

His knee propped up on a pillow, body bruised and a single Band-Aid on his nose, Tidus looked the very image of misery as he sat loosely propped up in his cot in his room back on the airship.

When everyone had returned to the airship, they weren't met with the warmest of greetings. Lulu was the first to scold them, and by 'them' it mainly meant Tidus and Wakka. Her temper, which was usually well hidden behind her mask of indifference, was quick to lash out with spiteful and harsh remarks. Tidus' actions appalled her in particular for his, 'lack of tact and obvious disregard for everyone around him,' though Wakka got a few, 'I'm disappointed in how you handled the situation,' gospels.

She had completely ignored the Al Bhed Psyches.

Rikku was next to lecture them, her short height barely registering as she stood on tiptoe and pointed at the blonde and redhead in her frantic bouts of high squeals and whining. Normally not the one to be the one seen lecturing, it was quite a sight, for everyone but the two on the receiving end of her statements involving 'game spirit' and 'mutual respect,' to behold.

She, too, had completely ignored the Al Bhed Psyches.

Wakka, at least, took it in stride, sullenly nodding his head from time to time to indicate that he was at least trying to be polite and listen to what the two women had to say. Tidus, on the other hand, only grew hot under the collar again as he watched his opponents walk away scot-free while he had to stand there – nose bloody, arm bruised, knee swollen – and take the beating of his life.

It just wasn't _fair_.

Glowering in the most upset way he could manage (which wasn't much; it came off more as a pout) he had stood there for ten minutes, dripping wet and hurting all over from the fight just previous, until Lulu and Rikku both ran out of steam. Between the both of them, those ten minutes felt like an eternity. Finally he was allowed to go to the medic wing of the airship, he and Wakka limping the whole way.

And now here he was, in his bedroom upon the aircraft, to rest and recover from his 'most stupid of stupid ideas,' as Rikku had repeatedly put it. Yuna had come and gone to heal his wounds as best she could, but after having gotten to the Al Bheds first (only because they were spared wasted minutes of pointless banter), among other things, she was limited as to what she could do at the moment. There were no other healers on this ship, most of the Al Bhed specialists dead back at 'Home'.

On her visit to him, Yuna'd said not a word on the matter, but he had a strong feeling she was disappointed, and this made his conscience bang against the inside of his skull. Unlike Lulu's and Rikku's earlier lectures, this was what actually made him feel bad, though he did not regret the fight for a minute.

Slumping more heavily against the stiff, nearly nonexistent pillow, he stared up at the ceiling for a long time, the soft sounds of footsteps and chatter occasionally drifting through the thin, metal door. It was his only company, until a bit of soft light filtered in as someone entered.

Lifting his head tiredly, he suddenly wondered how fast he could run to the window and his chances of survival if he jumped out of it. Even without the busted knee, he was sure the odds were against him when it came to outdoing Auron. The guy might look bulky enough that he couldn't even trot, but he knew from experience that the guy could be on you before you could finish your prayer.

Oh, Yevon; the whole side of his face looked like a T.K.O. ball had spiked him in the face, too. Wincing at the imagery, as well as his possible fate, Tidus was wondering if the other would let him live if he pointed out that at least he'd struck the side of his face where he had the scar, so that he wasn't squinting through both his eyes.

Strangely, he didn't think he'd be alive for five more minutes if he said that, as opposed to the next seven and a half.

"How are you feeling?" Auron's gruff voice broke through his rampant thoughts, causing the blonde to have to slow down and process the words over a couple times. Perhaps he was sizing him up, seeing how much force he'd need to cut him down? It wouldn't be much with him in this state.

"Um…okay."

An uneasy silence settled then, soon growing to the same density as the one before the both of them changed their stripes to black and blue back at the dome. Not unused to these sorts of things, but hating them all the same, Tidus shifted uneasily in his bed, his leg giving a sharp protest to the movement.

"And…and you?" he finally muttered, glancing away in a vain attempt to remain cool in face of any of the things Auron could throw at him, literally and non. At least Lulu and Rikku had warmed him up for the inevitable lecture to appear.

He watched the other run an absent finger down his temple and cheek to trail over the bruised tissue. Shrugging, he let the hand drop, going back to his distant state against the door.

"It will heal."

Another silence. More fidgeting.

"I'm _really_ sorry about getting into that fight, Auron, and I'm really _really_ sorry about hitting you. I didn't mean to, honest!" he suddenly blurted, at a loss for what he was supposed to do. With the guardian, you could never tell what he wanted of you, so it was just best to give in and cover everything. Or else.

The other tilted his head slightly, seeming to accept the answer and turn to leave. Instead he merely shifted to get more comfortable. Tidus knew that posture – the other was preparing to stick around for some time.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Do…what exactly?"

"Start the fight."

Tidus sputtered for a minute, struggling for an answer. "Well, see, I didn't start it, for one! That Berrik guy had tried to take out Wakka, see, and I guess he took my goal as a personal offense or something after that. So like…he confronted me afterwards, I swear I didn't go looking for him, and he kind of…uh…he went to attack me!"

"Is that all?"

He fidgeted once more.

"Yeah…why? I was just acting in self defense."

Even with his sunglasses on, a busted melon, and his collar up, the young charge could still sense when he was having holes bored into him.

"You're not the type for confrontations. Why'd you hit him?"

The implication went unsaid – cause you're a crybaby – and that _hurt_. It was up there with Yuna's obvious disappointment in his actions, though she'd been silent about the ordeal. It was a hard time right now, and here he'd gone and made things worse. He hadn't been ready to bawl his eyes out, but he was slowly inching towards it now. _Thanks a lot, big guy._

"I…there isn't another reason. He just pissed me off, okay?"

"Tell me," Auron said more openly, this time in the form of an order rather than a question.

As if in denial, Tidus clamped his mouth shut with an audible click. But when the silence returned, and with it, an even heavier weight, it was hard to keep his silence. The other knew this, and in turn, Tidus knew he was using it to his advantage. Mumbling under his breath, he turned his head away, still holding on in case the older man would give up.

He didn't.

"What was that?"

"I _said_…he said something he had no right to."

"And that would be?"

A deep sigh, a sign that he didn't want to have to repeat it. But while Tidus might have been as stubborn as a rock, Auron was as stubborn as a mountain.

"He told me…not to turn away and be a coward, like you," he at last admitted, stating it with as little sound as he could. With the words spoken aloud, he was once again filled with the rage he'd felt when he'd heard them come from Berrik's own big, fat mouth. Disreguarding his earlier emotions on the subject, he once again rejoiced at remembering how he'd closed it, too. If he were lucky enough, the other wouldn't be able to talk for a week, even with healing magic.

"Is that all?"

Hearing the question asked a second time gave Tidus pause, his eyes darting up to meet the other's face. He wanted to snap that, no, that wasn't all. No one said those things about Auron, especially if such statements were lies. They might not be related by blood or considered close…but the big lug was all he'd had for the longest time. The guardian might be a lot of things, but he was no coward. He'd seen with his own eyes him taking on monsters no sane nor brave warrior would take on by their lonesome.

And for once, it wasn't like he didn't know what everyone was talking about. Though it was sketchy, he knew the basics of what had happened to have the other come to be where he was now. Rumor had it he'd run away from his problems, run away from a marriage he didn't want, and become an outcast.

Well, fuck _that_. Tidus might not know why Auron had run away, but he knew one thing for sure…he had to have had a good reason for it. He had a good reason for everything. No matter what anyone else ever told him, he wouldn't think otherwise.

Besides, the only one who could patronize Auron was him, and he would always give the man the honor of having it all said to his face.

He wanted to say all this and more, to let him know how he felt and give him the privilege of a real explanation since if anyone deserved it, he supposed it would be him. However, as he concentrated harder on the other's face, he suddenly realized he didn't have to. Auron already understood, possibly more than he himself did.

For the first time in his entire life, Tidus didn't consider going out to Blitz.

-Fin-


End file.
